Sunday, February 5, 2017

Rare "tree man" syndrome diagnosed in young Bangladeshi girl

Sahana Khutan, a ten-year old girl living in Bangladesh, is currently being treated for epidermodysplasia verruciformis, colloquially known as "tree man syndrome." This is a rare, heritable condition that causes large growths on the body that resemble tree bark. Doctors treating Sahana believe that her condition is mild enough that they can operate on her in the coming week and remove all the growths. EV is an immune disorder that makes people more susceptible to HPV infection. This is good news, since HPV causes increased susceptibility for skin cancer.